Page 38 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

She paused and looked at Kael. “When they return with the news that there wasn’t anything here, Malakar will send his scouts in a different direction.”

Kael and Dain exchanged glances and nodded.

With a sigh of relief, she dashed to her tent, picked up her bag of magical sand, and ran back to the guards. The scouts were close to the ruins and could see its crumbling walls. Seraphina grabbed a handful of the sand and stepped out in front of the men.

They blinked in surprise. “Oracle. What are you doing here?”

She replied in her most serious tone, “I’m always where I need to be, so decreed by the gods and fate.”

“King Malakar will be glad to see you. He was furious when you escaped.”

Holding up her hand filled with sand, she said, “Let memory twist, let truth unwind –forget my face and forget this sight. What you’ve seen was never here, carry your false memory,clear.” She blew the sand into their faces. Their eyes widened, and they suddenly looked confused.

“We’ve come this far. There’s nothing here,” one of them said. “I guess we’ll have to go north tomorrow.”

“King Malakar isn’t going to be happy when he hears that we came up empty again.” The other man sighed as they walked away.

“We’ll just tell one of the border guards, who can give the message. We won’t go back into Wyrmhaven until we find them.”

Satisfied that her spell worked, Seraphina walked back to the ruins. Her wards were still intact and if the scouts had gotten just a little closer, their entire memories would have been erased. They wouldn’t even know their name.

“At least I was able to dosomethingthis time,” she muttered in frustration. “It seems like I’ve done nothing but spin around in circles since I first got Dain’s prophecy.

16

Dain

The brotherhood met in the temple to discuss battle strategy. Dain sat rigidly in his chair, staring at the map spread out on the table, staring at the outline of Wyrmhaven.

Lucian spoke up. “I believe we can weaken and maybe even destroy Malakar’s hold on one of the outer fortresses and drive him further back into Wyrmhaven. Blackthorn Keep, which used to be a strong kingdom, isn't what it used to be. The soldiers are not well trained and are lazy, since they think they’re untouchable.”

“When do you think we should strike?” Kael asked.

“Tonight,” Lucian said. “We hit the supply train pretty hard and now this. Malakar will start feeling the pressure.”

The weight of the decision settled on Dain like a physical burden. His fingers traced the worn edges of Blackthorn Keep on the map, remembering the fortress as it once was—a symbol of strength and honor before Malakar's corruption tainted it.

“Tonight,” he repeated, the word heavy with consequence. “Blackthorn Keep has always been a symbol of strength in the outer territories. Taking it would send a message to Malakar.”

Lucian nodded. “Their western wall has fallen into disrepair. Their commander, Drovus, spends more time partying and drinking than he does taking care of the fortress and training his army.”

“We’ll attack at midnight,” Dain said.

After everyone left, he sat in the temple, drumming his fingers. He strongly disliked the idea that civilians would be hurt and hoped that could be minimalized.

He closed his eyes and thought back to the attack on the supply chain. Dain had no idea what happened. It was like the three-day benders that some of the mundane humans talked about. He just completely blacked out and he lost control.

Exhaling deeply, he prayed that nothing like that happened tonight. He didn’t want any innocent person or his own people getting hurt because of him.

It briefly occurred to him that maybe he should sit this battle out so he could figure out how to recognize the darkness when it attacked and how to control it.

He slammed his fist on the table hard. “I’m the king, damn it. I cannot sit this out. I’m their leader.”

The night seemed particularly dark. Clouds hid the moon and stars. The only light came from within the fortress.

They shifted and stood outside of the western wall of Blackthorn Keep. Two of the guards were playing cards, while a third was sleeping. None of them had noticed the brood of eleven dragon shifters flying close to the fortress.

Dain felt the anxiety rise up in his throat, gagging him.

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